William Herschel discovered NGC 5369 = H III-285 = h1704 on 5 Mar 1785 (sweep 380) and recorded "eF, vS, requires much attention to be distinguished." There is nothing at his position by 25 sec of RA west and 4' north is PGC 49583. John Herschel also noted his "place precarious" and marked the RA and Dec as very uncertain. Still his position was closer than his father's - the RA was 14 sec too large and the dec off by 1.5'. Jermain Porter measured an accurate micrometric position in 1908 at the Cincinnati Observatory.

400/500mm - 17.5" (5/11/96): fairly faint, small, slightly elongated 4:3 NW-SE, 40"x30", weak concentration to a brighter core and occasional stellar nucleus. A mag 12 star lies 2.0' SW.

Notes by Steve Gottlieb